18-year-old inmate does a Houdini to escape police custody

Police will conduct a review of security procedures in escorting inmates after an 18-year-old prisoner did a “Houdini act” to escape from his two police guards during a visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei on Wednesday.

Leung Ka-lok, who is facing trial over an alleged acid attack, slipped out of the handcuffs and chains put on him and outran his police escorts, Apple Daily reported on Thursday.

He was rearrested at a friend’s home in Chai Wan after a police manhunt that lasted more than 10 hours.

Leung, a detainee at the Wong Tai Sin police station, was taken to the hospital after he complained of feeling unwell on Wednesday morning.

While waiting at the hospital’s accident and emergency department at around 6 a.m., Leung asked for a blanket as he said he was feeling cold.

Underneath the blanket, Leung slipped his hands out of the handcuffs and removed the chain around his waist the same way he would take his pants off. All along his police escorts were unaware of what he was doing.

Leung then broke away from the two officers, threw away the handcuffs and chain, dashed to the hospital carpark, and fled to Wylie Road.

Police were only able to retrieve a black T-shirt Leung left on the floor.

This was not the first time Leung had been to the hospital; he had asked to be taken there on Sunday.

At around 4 p.m., police arrested Leung at the home of a 23-year-old man surnamed Yau in Chai Wan.

Police said the inmate’s escape was a serious matter and will be investigated thoroughly.

Leung’s police escorts may face disciplinary action if it is proven that they did not follow procedures in handling inmates, the report said.

Police were puzzled how Leung could have slipped out of his handcuffs and chain like a magician, comparing him to the late Harry Houdini, a Hungarian-American stuntman noted for incredible escape acts.

The Hong Kong government has begun work on the legislation process for the national anthem law, and is preparing to put the matter before the Legislative Council’s panel on constitutional affairs for discussion on...

On Thursday last week, hundreds of local taxi drivers drove to the government headquarters in Admiralty to protest against cab-hailing apps like Uber and demand tighter regulation of online car-hailing platforms in order to...

Secretary for Food and Health Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee has promised to launch an investigation into a suspected medical blunder at United Christian Hospital that left a 15-year-old patient paralyzed on one side of her...

Tam Yiu-chung, a Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress (NPC), said there is a chance for political reform to be restarted if society can reach a consensus to support the electoral framework...

Following the Legislative Council by-elections, members of the pro-establishment camp have started drawing conclusions about how Vincent Cheng Wing-shun of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) was able...

Japan and South Korea are two popular countries to visit during winter time for their hot springs and hanjeungmak (traditional Korean sauna). However, many people might be worried about whether it is safe for senior...